2009.03.24
The Big East is the best
The debate over which league is the best men's basketball conference in the land certainly seems over. It's the Big East, hands down. The league has five teams in the Sweet 16, compared to three from the Big 12 and two from both the ACC and the Big Ten. Most folks believed during the regular season that either the Big East or the ACC was the best conference, with the Big Ten also in the discussion. I thought the Big East was a big stronger because of how good its top six or seven teams were, and the NCAA tournament has done nothing thus far to change my mind. The first-round losses by Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson and Florida State have ruined the ACC's argument -- Mark Berman
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The Big East has a lot of teams in their conference, however.
Comment by Nelson — March 25, 2009 @ 7:59 am
The ACC got embarrassed, pure and simple. Throw in the NIT, and the league was so overrated it's ridiculous.
Comment by Ron — March 25, 2009 @ 10:09 am
Jeff Sagarin has these ratings as of March 24, 2009! His ratings have been used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to help determine the participants in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament since 1984!.
The key thing to remember here is that a conference may have teams at the bottom that are weak! In other words, a conference may be dragged down by having so many teams at the bottom that are weaker than the bottom teams of the Pac 10! In other words, the Big East may have
so many teams, that it's weakest teams cause the league as a whole
to be weaker than the Pac 10!
According to these rankings, the ACC is either the #1 or the #5 conference in the nation, depending on which method of Sagarin's
you go by.
You can see them at
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkc0809.htm?loc=interstitialskip
CONFERENCE CENTRAL MEAN SIMPLE AVERAGE TEAMS
1 PACIFIC-10 = 83.85 83.21 ( 2) 10
12
2 BIG 12 = 83.72 83.15 ( 4) 12
3 BIG TEN = 83.59 83.05 ( 5) 11
4 BIG EAST = 83.44 83.20 ( 3) 16
5 ATLANTIC COAST = 83.23 83.52 ( 1) 12
6 SOUTHEASTERN = 79.85 79.45 ( 6) 12
7 MOUNTAIN WEST = 78.40 77.85 ( 7) 9
8 ATLANTIC 10 = 75.96 75.80 ( 9) 14
9 CONFERENCE USA = 75.13 75.84 (
10 MISSOURI VALLEY = 74.57 74.71 ( 10) 10
Comment by Nelson — March 26, 2009 @ 2:52 am
email to the virginia tech athletic department
In a world long ago there were two neighbors and friends that played sports together in the big east conference. Us West Virginians would look forward to that every year. Then you found richer more prestigious friends in the Atlantic Coast conference. You left your poor neighbors to the west with a conference that was on life support.
It is funny how things change over time. Is the Atlantic Coast conference any good in baseball? There will always be a place in our hearts and memories for our humble and wonderful hokie friends and neighbors that were led down a path of false hopes and delusions of grandeur by aspiring buffoons.
Comment by olin price — March 27, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Virginia should be playing West Virginia in football now and then! As a UVa fan, I'd rather see us playing West Virginia than some of the other non-conference teams we play.
Comment by Nelson — March 29, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
Nelson, that's unlikely. I'm not trying to talk trash here, but UVA gets 5 or 6 tough games in conference, so they have to try schedule nobody but cupcakes from out of conference. Scheduling WVU would, more often than not, get them that 6th loss which would make them bowl ineligible.
Comment by Charlie Shield — March 30, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Well, back in the 1970's, UVa played WVU. It can be done. UVa has made room on the schedule for East Carolina. I'd much-rather see WVU on the schedule!
Virginia actually played one of the 5 toughest-schedules in the country this past year in football, believe it or not! Non-conference games included Southern California and Richmond, which won the Football Championship Subdivision title, and bowl games with CT and East Carolina!
Comment by Nelson — March 30, 2009 @ 7:08 pm
Funny how I don't hear anyone talking about how great the Big Easy, I mean Small East, oops I mean Big East is after UNC romped to another National Title!
Comment by Greg — April 9, 2009 @ 3:42 pm